Time-controlled electric switch



March 21, 1933. METTLER 1,902,570

TIME CONTROLLED ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Nov. 30, 1928 u Ill Patented Mar. 21, 1933 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I J'OSEF METTLER, OF'ZUG, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LAN DIS & GYR, A.-G., A LIMITED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY OF SWITZERLAND TIME-CONTROLLED ELECTRIC SWITCH Application filed November 30, 1928, Serial No. 322,619, and in Switzerland December 6, 1927.

This invention relates to novel and useful improvements in time-controlled electric switches and more particularly to time-controlled electric switches in which the switch is adapted to be closed during predetermined, yet variable, periods of time, at predetermined and variable times.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in-part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel-parts, construction, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described. Q

The accompanying drawing, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain'the principles of the invention.

Of the drawing:---

Fig. 1 is a front elevation with certain parts broken away more fully to reveal the mechanism.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, looking from the right of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a plan of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammaticshowing of the invention, the switch being held open.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic showing of the parts shown in Fig. 4 with the switch held in its closed position. a

The invention is directed primarily to the provision of a time-control for an electric switch which is simple, compact and reliable in its operation and adapted periodically to close the switch at such predetermined times as have been selected, maintain the switch in closed position for any desired, predetermined and variable periods of times and then restore the switch to its original and open position from which it may be recurrently moved to closed position.

Other features of the invention will be initially pointed out in connection with the following detailed descriptions of the presplanatory but not restricted of the invention.

The invention, in its present preferred embodiment, comprises in its main features, a clock driven disc to which variably positionable pins are secured, a lever moved by each of the pins, to close a switch, means to hold the lever in switch-closing position, a second disc driven by the clock during the time the switch is closed, this second disc'carrying a variably positionable pin to release the lever holding means and allow the switch to be opened and then restore the second disc to its original position.

In the present preferred embodiment, il lustrated by the drawing, there is provided clock-means, comprising amain-spring enclosed in drum 10, driving the day-disc 12, mounted in front of plate 13, through gearing 14. The main-spring also drives a fine gear through gearing 16.

A switch is provided, for controlling the circuit, and comprises contacts 18 and 19, mounted on springs 20 and 21, insulated from each other and supported on plate 22, secured to front plate 13 by screws 23.

Means are provided for operating these contact members of the switch and comprise a three-armed lever 25, pivotally supported by shaft 26 in a. bearing 27. One arm 28 of lever has secured to its outer end a pin 29 which coacts with theupper end of spring 20 to separate the contacts 18 and 19 or allow them to close. The third arm 30 of lever 25, at its outer end, carries a pin 31 which extends into a slot 32 formed in lever 33. Lever 33 is mounted on pivot pin 34:, which in turn is carried by pawl 35, and pawl 35 is journalled on shaft 36 extending from the front ofpla-te 13. Spring 37, coiled about shaft 36, tends to rotate pawl 35 counterclockwise and this rotation is limited by stop For closing the switch at any predetermined and variable time andmaintaining it closed for the desired length of time there are provided a series of holes 40, arranged adjacent to the edge of day-disc 12 and into any number of which control pins 42 may be I screwed, the position of these pins being in accordance with the time at which it is d esired to cause the switch to function. These control pins are of suflicientlength so that as the day-disc'rotates, the pins engage with the free end of pivoted lever 33nand turn lever 33 and pawl 35 clockwise about shaft 36. For 15 maintaining pawl 35 in the position to which it has been moved by pin 42, there is provided a .detent 43 formed on the end of lever 54, pivoted on shaft 44, forwardly extending fromplate 13. Lever-54 is normally moved into engagement with the pawl by means of spring 45. As the day-disc continues to ro-. tate and pin 42 slips od the righthand end of lever 33, the upper andpointed end of pawl.

35 is .held by. detent43 and lever ,moves counterclockwiseabout its pivot 26, retract ing pin 29 and thereby closing contacts-18 4 and 19 and the circuit inwhich they are'connected. v, i it For'opening the switch and the circuit, a predetermined and variable period of time after pin 42 has operated to close the circuit, there isyprovided a secondand smaller disc, 48secured to the front end of shaft 49 jour- I nalled inllever 25 at the junction of itsathree arms. At the rear end of shaft 49, and on the rear side of lever 25, is. mounteda fine toothed gear 50, meshing with gear 15 when. the pin 42 moves lever 25 in a counterclockwise direction to close the circuit. Gear 15' transmits its motion to gear 50 and moves disc 48 and the shaft on which'it is mounted in acounter-clockwise direction against the tension of spiral spring 51 so-long as the gears 50 and. 15 are in mesh. On theperiphery of 'disc 48, is clamped a variable positionable by engagement with an abutment lug 58' dog 53, which on rotation of the disc 48,'engages the end 55 of. lever, 54, raising detent 43'out of engagement with pawl 35, thus allowing spring 37 to -move pawl 35 counterclockwise and lever 25 clockwise about its pivot 26,thus moving'pin/29 into engage-;

mentwith the upper end of 'springi20 to sep'arate contacts 18, 19 and open thecircuit; y f y f i For regulating the meshlof the gearst50 and 15 there is provided a-set-screw 56 on a lug'57, formed as a part of plate-22, to'limit' the counterclockwise movement of lever .25

formed at theupper end of lever 25.

In order to facilitate the rapid and accurate setting ofthe pins 42 and dog 53 on discs 12 and 48, these discs are provided with su tablescale markings indicating time units. Disc 12 1s conveniently divided into one-half hour periods, and disc 48 may he graduated in hours, minutes or seconds according to the particular gear, ratio employed to drive disc 2 48 from the clock.

The above illustrated and described embodiment of my invention operates in the following manner 7 Pin 42 is shown as set to close the switch contacts 18 and 19a: 1.00 A. M. and dog 53 is set to release pawl 43 and open the circuit, three hours and three minutes there after or at 4.03 A. r

The clock rotates disc 12 clockwise and a short time prior to 1.00 A. M pin 42 engages the right-hand end of lever 33,.moving it and pawl 35' clockwise about-shaft 36 and against the tension of spring 37. At 1.00

A; M. the'pin movesofi the end of lever 33,

allowing lever ,25 to move counterclockwise while pawl 35 is held'by detent 43. :The counterclockwise movement of lever'25 about shaft 26 brings gear 50 into mesh with gear 15 and starts the counterclockwise rotation of disc 48. Just prior to 4.03 A. M. 'dog 53 en ages the right-hand end of detentf43' and at 4.03 A. M. thedetentrele ases pawl 35,

allowing it to rotate" counterclockwise and moving with-it lever33 about stop39 as a fulcrum; This movement rotates lever 25 clockwise, unmeshes gears'50 and 15, allow-:-

ing jdisc48 to return to its initial position under the, influence ofqspring 51 and separates contacts 18 and 19, the'reby opening. the

circuit and leaves-the switch operating mech-.

anism'ready to act again in the same manner when engaged by another. pm 42 or by the same pin on the following day.

,By varying the ratio of gearing 16 the The invention in itsbroader aspectsis not l mited to'the specliic mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made,

therefrom, within the scope of the acco'm panying claims without departing from the principles oftheinvention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

VVhat I claim is I I 1. A time-controlledswitch, includingin Inasmuch as combination a switch, clock-controlled means for-closing the switch, switch opening means brought into operation by the closing ofthe switch for opening theswitch, and means for driving the opening means from the clock mechanismonlyduringthe time the switch a is closed; 7

' 2. A time-controlled v electric switchpineluding in combination a switch, a clockcontrolled disc, variable positionable means on the disc for closing the switch, a second disc, clock-controlled means for rotating the second disc while the switch is closed and variably positionable means carried by the second disc for opening the switch.

3. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination a switch, a time-controlled disc, variably positionable means on the disc for closing the switch, a second disc, time-controlled means for moving the sec ond disc while the switch is closed, variably positionable means oarried by the second disc for opening the switch and means for restoring the second disc to its original posi tion while the switch is open.

4. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination a switch, a time-controlled disc, variably positionable means on the disc for closing the switch, means for retaining the switch closed, a second disc, time-controlled means for moving the second disc while the switch is closed,variably positionable means carried by the second disc for releasing the retaining means to open the switch and means for restoring the second disc to its original position While the switch is open.

5. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination a switch, switch closing mechanism, a clock-driven means for operating the switch closing mechanism at variable and predetermined times, means for maintaining the switch closed and means for opening the switch a predetermined and variable period of time after closure and restoring the switch closing mechanism to its initial position so it may be again operated.

6. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination a switch, a clockdriven disc, variably positionablemeans car- I ried by the disc to close the switch, a second disc, means for driving the second disc from the clock while the switch is closed, and means variably positionable on the second disc for opening the switch a predetermined and variable time after the switch has been closed.

7. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination, a switch, a clockdriven disc, variably positionable means carried by the disc to close the switch, a second disc, means for driving the second disc from the clock while the switch is closed, and means for holding the switch in closed position, means variably positionable on the second disc for releasing the holding means to open the switch a predetermined and variable time after the switch has been closed.

8. A time-controlled electric switch in cluding in combination a switch, a clockdriven disc, variably positionable means carried by the disc to close the switch, a second disc, means for driving the second disc from the clockwhile the switch is closed, means variably ositionable on the second disc for opening t e switch a predetermined and variable time after the switch has been closed and means for restoring the second disc to its original position.

9. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination a switch, a clockdriven disc, variably positionable means carried by the disc to close the switch, a second disc, means for driving the second disc from the clock while the switch is closed, means for holding the switch is closed position, means variably positionable on the second disc for releasing the holding means to open the switch a predetermined and variable time after the switch has been closed and means for restoring the second disc to its original position. 7

10. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination a switch, a clock, a pair of discs, means on one of said discs for closing the switch at a predeterminable and variable time, means carried by the other disc for opening the switch a predeterminable and variable length of time after closing of the switch and means for controlling the operation of both discs by the clock.

11. A time-controlled electric switch, including in combination a clock-driven disc, a switch, variably positionable means on the disc for closing the switch, a second disc driven by the clock while the switch is closed and means operated thereby for opening the switch a predetermined and variable length of time after closure of the switch.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOSEF METTLER. 

